How to Keep Bed Bugs Out of Your House

The summer of 2011 could be the worst one for bed bugs yet, according to Jeffrey White, a research entomologist at BedBug Central, an online resource for bed bug information. While isolated reports of bed bugs started more than 10 years ago, he says they didn’t become a widespread problem until 2006 — and infestations have steadily increased with each passing summer.

Bed bugs reproduce at a rapid rate, travel from place to place on almost any thing or person, and may require multiple pest control visits to be eliminated. Not only do bed bugs leave itchy bites and have a “creep” factor that can trigger anxiety, stress, and even depression, they may also not be as harmless as previously thought. Recent research from the U.S. Center for Disease Control’s Emerging Infectious Diseases found that bed bugs may even spread the dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).

We talked to experts to find out where bed bugs are most commonly found — and to get tips to keep them from coming home with you.

The Big Picture: Bed Bugs Mapped

After a traumatic experience in a San Francisco hotel, writer and computer programmer Maciej Ceglowski started BedBugRegistry.com when he discovered there wasn’t a national forum to report bed bug incidences. The site, which maps bed bug sightings in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, contains more than 20,000 reports of bed bugs in more than 12,000 locations. If you’re planning to travel, you can look up the city or town — or even a particular hotel — to see if there have been bed bug reports. You can find additional resources about bed bug outbreaks and identifying, preventing, and eliminating bed bugs on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Web site or from your local health department. The New York City Health Department, for example, has illustrations and advice for spotting bed bugs and their markings, droppings, eggs, or bites.

Bed Bug Express: Dogs, Cats, and Birds

Although they prefer humans, bed bugs can hitch rides on small animals like cats, dogs, birds, rats, or guinea pigs. If you suspect your dog or cat has bed bugs, check their skin for small red bites close together (they appear the same as on humans). Wash and dry your pet’s bedding with heat and throw away any toys that have holes. “You might not see bed bugs on an animal, but you might find them harboring on their beds,” warns Lou Sorkin, an entomologist and bed bug expert at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. If you see a bed bug feeding on your pet or among his bed or toys, search for an infestation in your home and call a pest control company or canine detection service” — one that uses dogs to sniff out bed bug infestations.

World-Traveling Bed Bugs: Hotels and Luggage

Bed bugs can cling to and find hiding places in your suitcases and bags and travel with you from a vacation hotel or convention center very efficiently. When you stay in a hotel, bring a small flashlight to inspect the mattress, behind the headboard, under couch cushions, and in furniture drawers. Immediately report sightings of bed bugs, as well as other less-obvious evidence such as streaks or droplets of blood, bug droppings, or eggs. Since bed bugs can cling to carpet, keep your suitcase off the floor and on a luggage rack (or leave it in the bathroom).

On its bed bug advisory site, the New York City Health Department says you can protect your clothes by packing them in large plastic bags or washable mesh bags before putting them in your suitcase. When you return from a trip, put all of your clothes in the dryer immediately to kill bed bugs and their eggs. Spray your luggage with alcohol, which also destroys bed bugs, or vacuum it and throw away the vacuum bag promptly. If you travel frequently, you may want to consider investing in a thermal container that can heat your luggage when you return home. For example, the PackTite thermal container ($320) is large enough to hold a suitcase and promises to kill bed bugs.

Bed Bug 'Yachts': Cruise Ships

Like hotels, cruise ships also have to deal with bed bug infestations. “With thousands of pieces of baggage and tons of supplies brought on each year, a ship is vulnerable to occasional pests,” says Linda Sietz, a customer service representative for Royal Caribbean cruise line. “However, we maintain pest management products on board, and every effort is made to prevent insects from entering the ship.” Before you book, ask the cruise line about what precautions they take to avoid bed bugs, such as conducting regular pest inspections and keeping extermination supplies on hand. Just as you would in a hotel, inspect the mattress and the rest of your stateroom, and use the same precautions with your luggage.

Bed Bugs on Buses and Subways: Public Transit

Last year a New York City government worker confirmed finding bed bugs on benches in at least five subway stations. NYC the Blog reported that commuters were kicked off trains by Metropolitan Transit Authority employees for having bugs on them, and the New York Post reported one station had to be fumigated after bed bugs were spotted by a booth agent. University of Kentucky entomologist Michael Potter told The New York Times that in the past, “bed bugs were very common on trains, on buses, in taxicabs, in all modes of transport," and recently they’ve turned up on trains in India and Europe as well. Bed bugs can live in cracks on public benches for up to a year without eating, but experts think this is very uncommon. A simple precaution is to examine benches and seats for bed bugs before sitting, and remain standing up if you have any doubt.

Blockbuster Bed Bugs: Movie Theaters

Movie theaters from Brooklyn to Illinois have fallen victim to bed bug infestations. Major theaters typically report when they’ve had inspections for bed bugs and occasionally close for treatment. One example: The Times Square AMC theater in New York shut down last year to rid itself of bed bugs (which were missed in a routine inspection), and the theater was re-inspected two weeks later as a precaution. Scope out your movie theater seat for bed bugs before you sit down, and to be safe, throw your clothes in the dryer and spray your shoes with alcohol as soon you return home (if you’re concerned about alcohol damaging your shoes, vacuum them instead). If you’re very concerned about bed bugs at the movies, you can even check on BedBugRegistry.com before you go to see if the theater you’re considering has had recent bed bug reports.

Bed Bug Co-Workers: Offices and Cubicles

Such prominent companies and offices as Time Warner, Penguin Books, Sirius XM radio, the Brooklyn district attorney's office, and even UN headquarters closed for bed bug treatments last year. If you hear of or see bed bugs at work, notify your human resources department and building management immediately — in writing — and follow up to make sure they're doing something about the problem. To keep from giving bed bugs a lift home from work, keep your belongings off the floor and out of public closets, which can leave jackets and bags vulnerable to bed bugs.

Window-Shopping Beds Bugs: Retail Stores

Shoppers were shocked last year to hear of bed bug spottings in stores like Victoria’s Secret, Abercrombie & Fitch, Niketown, and Hollister in New York City. All four retailers shut down local stores for treatment, and Abercrombie & Fitch had so much trouble ridding their stores of the pests that they asked the mayor for help. Even luxury retailer Bergdorf Goodman hired a bug-sniffing dog as a precaution. Bed bugs and eggs are visible on clothing, but many people don’t know to look for them, so they may inadvertently bring bed bugs into their homes, says Sorkin. To ensure your new purchases don’t harbor bed bugs, put them in the dryer for a half-hour as soon as you get home, or take delicates straight to your drycleaner.

Calling Dr. Bed Bug: Hospitals

Hospitals may be the last place you’d think to check for bed bugs, but employees, patients, and visitors are all capable of bringing them in and causing infestations. Milwaukee and Washington, DC, hospitals have reported bed bug incidents this year. Fortunately, hospitals are quick to act and exterminate: In both cities, officials quarantined the affected areas, exterminated the pests, and used sniffer dogs to ensure they were gone before re-opening the areas. Sorkin suggests checking a hospital room like you would a hotel room; look over the mattress and pillows, chairs, wheelchair devices, and other furnishings.

Bed Bugs in Class: School Infestations

Bed bugs invaded Cincinnati, Ohio, elementary schools so severely last year students now have to regularly seal their book bags and coats in airtight bags upon arrival every day. New York City schools had more than 1,000 bed bug reports in 2010. If there have been reports of bed bugs in your child’s school, contact your local board of education about their policies, and ask your child’s teacher about sealing and hanging students’ belongings and other strategies to prevent their spread.

Higher Educated Bed Bugs: Colleges and Universities

Dormitories at such colleges as at New York University, the University of Illinois, Penn State, the University of Colorado, and Wake Forest have been treated for bed bug infestations in the past year. Bed bugs are probably brought in by students returning from vacations or trips home, and university officials and housing departments typically evacuate affected rooms and treat them with pesticides and heat. To avoid the spread of bed bugs — and panic — Penn State put informational posters up in dorms so students know how to identify the bugs and notify maintenance. To keep bed bugs out of dorm rooms, clean up clutter and inspect places where they could hide, use a mattress protector, and don’t bring in used furniture or clothing.

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